ABSTRACT
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a photochemistry-based technology that utilizes the absorption of light by a photosensitizer (PS), initiating a photochemical process and resulting in localized treatment. Current PDT regimens produce this effect in two steps in which the nontoxic chemical compound PS is administered, and after an incubation period, local light is used to generate cytotoxic effects only in the area of irradiation (Wilson and Patterson 2008) (also see Section 3.1). Recent advancements have brought PDT into the clinic for the treatment of lung, prostate, esophageal, head and neck, and skin cancers (Agostinis et al. 2011). Additionally, the first frontline therapy Visudyne (Benzoporphyrin derivative-mediated PDT) used in the treatment of the wet form of the age-related macular degeneration gained FDA approval in 2001 (Michels and Schmidt-Erfurth 2001). Currently, scientists and physicians are continuing to optimize the technology of PDT as a therapeutic, diagnostic, and monitoring modality for a diverse number of diseases.
